Geographical Indication (GI) options for Ethiopian Coffee and Ghanaian Cocoa

Innovation & Intellectual Property
The investment of public funds in research is understood to place an obligation
on researcher-inventors to ensure returns are realised in the local economy,
while at the same time facilitating a competitive innovation sector. One of
the most effective means of moving the research and commercialisation agenda
forward in South Africa is seen to be through the global patenting market. At
Wits, an advanced drug delivery platform is being developed for a disease that
affects everyone globally, making the securing of patents in the US, EU and Japan
(the major pharmaceutical markets) essential. In this context, Wits inventors are
engaged in a global value creation process, while aiming to generate a revenue
stream back to South Africa. South African scientists can have a global agenda,
participating in global R&D markets in order to enhance competitiveness. It can
be argued that a local patent has limited value if it pertains to a global disease
where R&D occurs abroad (e.g. ulcerative colitis, cancer), while a local patent
for HIV drug delivery has significant value. Both approaches can deliver positive
macro-economic effects. Publication occurs after receiving the priority date in the
case of a provisional patent application in South Africa (Wits researcher-inventor
interviewee, 2012).
It was noted that knowledge gained through pharmaceutical R&D contributes
to knowledge socialisation through the scholarly publishing and citation process.
Inventors within the field of pharmaceutical research at Wits publish between
15 and 20 papers a year in high-impact international journals. The researcherinventors
publish in both paid-access (per article or via subscription) journals and
via OA modes. OA scholarly publishing has been observed to increase citations, as
more academics have access to the articles. Global researchers have approached
the pharmaceutical research team for access to their findings, and OA simplifies
the process for academics who cannot afford access to paid-access publications,
while data related to patent filings that have commercial potential is not shared
(Wits researcher-inventor interviewee, 2012).
It was argued that researchers who want visibility “to make ourselves known”
value OA, as it has many benefits. OA publishing is observed to help validate
the research, as international researchers find it valuable and cite it. For example,
Wits research papers on advanced drug delivery platforms are extensively cited
and high visibility has led to many expressions of interest in collaboration from
researchers in, for example, Egypt, Argentina and Mauritius. Additionally, citations
are among the criteria used for promotion, e.g. through reporting H-Index
values. High citation rates suggest the article has created attention, something
that is wanted in the innovation space. The objective is to create attention for the
inventors, the institution and the country. Given the importance of OA in facilitating
basic research, the view was expressed that the focus of the Act should not
be solely on commercialisation (Wits researcher-inventor interviewee, 2012).
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